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Is Syria's President Bashar Assad sincere in his peace overtures to Israel? On one hand Assad offers peace talks but on the other he has forged a strategic alliance with Iran which threatens to wipe the Jewish state off the map. Then again is the Syrian dilemma facing Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also linked to such issues as the U.S. war in Iraq, Iran's nuclear weapons program and the future of Lebanon? Professor Eyal Zisser, one of Israel's leading analysts on Syria, discussed where the current situation may be headed in this interview with reporter David Essing:

Vice-Premier Shimon Peres says he is certain there will be peace between Syria and Israel "sooner or later." In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, Peres said there was no alternative. "They won't have a choice. Nobody has a choice. War becomes so expensive. It doesn't bring any conclusion. It doesn't have any justification."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday reiterated his commitment to help to bring about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here is the transcript of the joint press conference given by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.

In an article that was published in the Israeli Daily Ha'aretz, Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz presents his point of view on the current situation between Israel and the Egyptians. Dr. Steinitz belongs to the right-wing Likud party, and he is the former Chairman of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee in the Knesset.

The Palestinian Authority is commemorating the second anniversary of Former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Thousands of people took part in the central memorial ceremony which took place in the Muqata compound in Ramallah.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called for a meeting with chairman Mahmoud Abbas. "He will be surprised when he will sit with me of how far we are prepared to go. I can offer him a lot," Olmert said, without elaborating.

On leaving a mass rally for peace held under the slogan "Yes to Peace, No to Violence," Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish right-wing extremist. Age 73 at his death, he was laid to rest before a shocked and grieving nation, in a state funeral on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, attended by leaders from around the world. These were his last words:

On October 30, 1956, the United States asked that an urgent meeting of the Security Council be convened to discuss the Middle East fighting. The US called for an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops and asked other countries to refrain from giving Israel military and economic assistance. The United States draft Resolution was vetoed by Britain and France. The Yugoslav delegate then asked for an emergency session of the General Assembly. When the Assembly met on 1 November, it heard the Israeli case from Ambassador Eban:

Appearing before the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was no doubt that Israels neighbors now understood the price for attacking Israel. This he said was only one of many achievements in the war with Hezbollah. However, nearly all the Knesset Members criticized Olmert and demanded an official judicial enquiry.

The IDF commando raid deep into Lebanon's Bekaa Valley near Syria highlights the dilemma now confronting Israel. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 based the cease-fire on a robust U.N. force moving into south Lebanon to prevent newed Hezbollah attacks on Israel as well as an arms embargo on the terrorists.

What are the chances for the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 will be fully implemented? And how serious are this weeks implied threats by Syrian President Bashar Assad to take the Golan Heights by force? Professor Eyal Zisser presented his assessment on these and other issues in an interview with David Essing:

IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz briefed the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee on the war with Hezbollah. He arrived amid calls for his resignation after it was disclosed that three hours after Hezbollah attacked Israel, General Halutz called his bank to sell off his stocks. But in committee, the Chief of Staff got a show of support in light of the fragile situation in the Middle East.

While the war escalates between Israel and Hezbollah, the debate has begun over who is winning. Both Prime Minister Olmert and Sheik Nasrallah say they have no doubt about the outcome. But in Israel, the issue is not clear-cut.

Israels decision to mobilize three IDF reserve divisions has aroused speculation about the course of the war against Hezbollah. At the same time, the security cabinet has also decided to continue the policy of limited incursions against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon that killed nine soldiers on Wednesday. In an interview with the Maariv daily, Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has unveiled his thinking at this stage of the war.

In South Lebanon, intense fighting flared up when IDF troops moved into the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbail to clear out the remaining guerrillas. At least ten IDF Soldiers were hit. But despite the high casualties, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the IDF operation would continue.

After their meeting in Jerusalem, U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apparently saw eye to eye on the need to drive Hezbollah out of south Lebanon from where it has been rocketing more than one million Israeli citizens across the border.

As reported by IsraCast on July 13th, Israel is determined to drive Hezbollah out of the border region of south Lebanon. After warning Lebanese civilians to temporarily leave the area, IDF troops are now battling Hezbollah fighters in the area of Marun A-Ras village. In light of Tehran's all out support for Hezbollah, it is now apparent that Israel is now engaged in a de facto war with Iran and global terrorism.